1 00:00:10,362 --> 00:00:12,522 Speaker 1: This is an iHeart original. 2 00:00:21,362 --> 00:00:25,282 Speaker 2: Hey, what's up, everybody? This is Jason English, Dana Zaron 3 00:00:25,322 --> 00:00:27,682 Speaker 2: and I are hard at work on season two of 4 00:00:27,802 --> 00:00:32,482 Speaker 2: very special episodes. Look for that next month. In the meantime, 5 00:00:32,922 --> 00:00:35,082 Speaker 2: I wanted to highlight another show that some of our 6 00:00:35,282 --> 00:00:38,282 Speaker 2: very special team has been working on. It's called The 7 00:00:38,362 --> 00:00:41,682 Speaker 2: Legend of sword Quest. It's about the fall of Atari. 8 00:00:42,162 --> 00:00:46,162 Speaker 2: If you're into video games, or pop culture mysteries or 9 00:00:46,442 --> 00:00:51,042 Speaker 2: corporate malfeasance, I think you're gonna like this. It's eight episodes. 10 00:00:51,322 --> 00:00:53,122 Speaker 2: The first one we're gonna play for you right now. 11 00:00:53,442 --> 00:00:55,722 Speaker 2: If you want to listen to the rest, go subscribe 12 00:00:55,762 --> 00:00:58,602 Speaker 2: to the Legend of sword Quest feed be a link 13 00:00:58,642 --> 00:01:02,242 Speaker 2: in the show notes. Sword Quest is hosted by Jamie Loftus. 14 00:01:02,282 --> 00:01:05,482 Speaker 2: You might remember her from some of her very successful 15 00:01:05,522 --> 00:01:09,762 Speaker 2: podcasts My Year and Mensa. The Act Cast, which is 16 00:01:09,802 --> 00:01:13,922 Speaker 2: about the Kathy comics Ghost Church the sixteenth minute. The 17 00:01:13,962 --> 00:01:17,842 Speaker 2: show's written and reported by Jake Rawson. Jake's worked on 18 00:01:17,882 --> 00:01:21,602 Speaker 2: a bunch of our very special episodes from season one, 19 00:01:21,962 --> 00:01:24,882 Speaker 2: got many more in the works for season two. Producer 20 00:01:25,002 --> 00:01:28,762 Speaker 2: Josh Josh Fisher has been integral as always, along with 21 00:01:28,762 --> 00:01:32,722 Speaker 2: Miranda and Virginia Jesse and the School of Humans Gang. 22 00:01:33,242 --> 00:01:35,682 Speaker 2: So check it out and go and listen to episode 23 00:01:35,722 --> 00:01:38,682 Speaker 2: two and the rest over in the Legend of sword 24 00:01:38,762 --> 00:01:41,962 Speaker 2: Quest feed and We're excited to see you back here 25 00:01:42,002 --> 00:01:44,002 Speaker 2: next month with more very special episodes. 26 00:01:45,322 --> 00:01:48,242 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty two, thirteen year old Bert Wardahl is 27 00:01:48,242 --> 00:01:51,442 Speaker 1: looking through an Atari catalog. At the time, Atari was 28 00:01:51,482 --> 00:01:55,082 Speaker 1: the cutting edge in video games, promising an arcade experience 29 00:01:55,162 --> 00:01:56,802 Speaker 1: in your shag carpeted living room. 30 00:01:57,362 --> 00:02:00,762 Speaker 3: The Atari video computer system is twenty contridges with thirteen 31 00:02:00,802 --> 00:02:03,482 Speaker 3: hundred game variations you play on your own TV scent. 32 00:02:04,402 --> 00:02:09,042 Speaker 1: Bert sees something intriguing an add for Earthworld, the first 33 00:02:09,082 --> 00:02:13,002 Speaker 1: title in Atari's sword Quest series of games, epic and 34 00:02:13,082 --> 00:02:17,282 Speaker 1: ambitious sword Quest, promises one hundred and fifty thousand dollars 35 00:02:17,282 --> 00:02:21,202 Speaker 1: in prizes split up among five finalists, with the Sword 36 00:02:21,242 --> 00:02:25,402 Speaker 1: of Ultimate Sorcery going to the grand prize winner. Usually 37 00:02:25,562 --> 00:02:27,642 Speaker 1: the prize for winning a game was getting yelled at 38 00:02:27,682 --> 00:02:30,002 Speaker 1: by your parents for staying at the arcade for too long. 39 00:02:31,202 --> 00:02:33,842 Speaker 4: I remember there was a photo like a game image. 40 00:02:33,882 --> 00:02:36,482 Speaker 4: The sword Quest Earthwall game is about the zodiac signs, 41 00:02:36,922 --> 00:02:39,962 Speaker 4: and this particular picture of the screen grab was the 42 00:02:40,042 --> 00:02:43,762 Speaker 4: Leo sign. It was like a colorful waterfall that you 43 00:02:43,802 --> 00:02:45,922 Speaker 4: have to kind of run through. That was my first 44 00:02:46,002 --> 00:02:49,002 Speaker 4: image of seeing sword quests from that, And as I recall, 45 00:02:49,082 --> 00:02:51,562 Speaker 4: they did say, you know, there was a contest, you know, 46 00:02:51,682 --> 00:02:54,082 Speaker 4: win one hundred and fifty dollars dollars, you know, something 47 00:02:54,162 --> 00:02:56,882 Speaker 4: like that, and they didn't give a ton of details 48 00:02:56,922 --> 00:02:58,682 Speaker 4: about it. But it was exciting. 49 00:02:59,802 --> 00:03:02,802 Speaker 1: Of course, it was exciting. It was the most exciting 50 00:03:02,842 --> 00:03:06,242 Speaker 1: thing a thirteen year old could possibly hear. Real prizes 51 00:03:06,282 --> 00:03:08,882 Speaker 1: for playing a video game. Weren't games supposed to be 52 00:03:08,922 --> 00:03:12,602 Speaker 1: brain rotting wastes of time. The problem was that video 53 00:03:12,682 --> 00:03:15,722 Speaker 1: games didn't have drop dates yet. He knew it was 54 00:03:15,762 --> 00:03:18,362 Speaker 1: supposed to come out in October, but he didn't know 55 00:03:18,482 --> 00:03:20,882 Speaker 1: the day. So Bert has to try to find the 56 00:03:20,922 --> 00:03:25,002 Speaker 1: game the old fashioned way by calling every store within 57 00:03:25,122 --> 00:03:25,962 Speaker 1: driving distance. 58 00:03:28,762 --> 00:03:34,002 Speaker 5: Hello, kmart, Hey, do you have an Earth World? Do 59 00:03:34,042 --> 00:03:35,802 Speaker 5: we have what Earth World? 60 00:03:36,202 --> 00:03:37,002 Speaker 1: From Atari? 61 00:03:37,522 --> 00:03:38,442 Speaker 5: Earthworm? 62 00:03:38,722 --> 00:03:39,402 Speaker 6: Earth World? 63 00:03:39,882 --> 00:03:41,202 Speaker 5: Let me put you through the long care. 64 00:03:42,082 --> 00:03:45,202 Speaker 1: Bert calls every store he can think of, and then 65 00:03:45,842 --> 00:03:47,362 Speaker 1: finally J. C. 66 00:03:47,482 --> 00:03:50,562 Speaker 4: Penny was the biggest store in our area that carried 67 00:03:50,562 --> 00:03:53,282 Speaker 4: Atari games, at least the closest to my house, And 68 00:03:53,362 --> 00:03:55,562 Speaker 4: I do remember calling them and asking them, and they 69 00:03:55,602 --> 00:03:57,962 Speaker 4: said they were going to be carrying it, so I 70 00:03:58,042 --> 00:03:59,962 Speaker 4: knew when to go and it would be there. 71 00:04:00,762 --> 00:04:05,482 Speaker 1: This was Bert's big Christmas story moment, except it's October 72 00:04:05,882 --> 00:04:07,682 Speaker 1: and he has to pay for it with his own allowance. 73 00:04:07,762 --> 00:04:12,602 Speaker 1: But still he convinces his parents to drive him to J. C. Penny. 74 00:04:13,842 --> 00:04:18,402 Speaker 1: He leaps out of the car and runs toward the entrance. Inside, 75 00:04:18,602 --> 00:04:21,482 Speaker 1: past the clothing and the jewelry and the small appliances, 76 00:04:21,842 --> 00:04:26,122 Speaker 1: is the store's video game department, a tiny glass encased 77 00:04:26,162 --> 00:04:29,002 Speaker 1: oasis of excitement and a store full of socks. 78 00:04:29,522 --> 00:04:32,442 Speaker 4: There was a big kiosk that had electronics. There was 79 00:04:32,482 --> 00:04:35,562 Speaker 4: electronic stuff surrounding the kiosk too, but it was in 80 00:04:35,602 --> 00:04:38,242 Speaker 4: the kiosk where the games where they were behind the counter, 81 00:04:38,722 --> 00:04:40,522 Speaker 4: but it was a glass count so you could see 82 00:04:40,562 --> 00:04:42,202 Speaker 4: the games lined up in there. 83 00:04:42,722 --> 00:04:47,682 Speaker 1: Bert scans the shelves, past Asteroids, past Night Driver, past 84 00:04:47,842 --> 00:04:52,682 Speaker 1: Breakout until he sees it Earth World. The cover has 85 00:04:52,682 --> 00:04:56,162 Speaker 1: a muscular man and woman wielding swords, a hovering head 86 00:04:56,202 --> 00:04:59,402 Speaker 1: with an eye patch, and a minotaur. It was very 87 00:04:59,522 --> 00:05:02,482 Speaker 1: van mural Rock and Roll, an image to the conjured 88 00:05:02,562 --> 00:05:05,962 Speaker 1: up everything and adventure games should be Bert fishes the 89 00:05:06,002 --> 00:05:08,442 Speaker 1: money out of his pocket, it grabs the game, and 90 00:05:08,562 --> 00:05:11,442 Speaker 1: dashes back out to the car. On the drive home, 91 00:05:11,562 --> 00:05:14,202 Speaker 1: he tears into the plastic wrap, scanning the manual. 92 00:05:14,802 --> 00:05:17,442 Speaker 4: It seemed to take forever to drive home because I 93 00:05:17,482 --> 00:05:19,522 Speaker 4: was so excited to play a new game, But I 94 00:05:19,562 --> 00:05:22,002 Speaker 4: had that time to look at everything I could look 95 00:05:22,002 --> 00:05:24,562 Speaker 4: at the catalog, I could read the instructions. That's what 96 00:05:24,642 --> 00:05:28,122 Speaker 4: I did. I spent that time looking at everything I could. 97 00:05:28,202 --> 00:05:30,682 Speaker 4: And this game was also different because it came with 98 00:05:30,722 --> 00:05:33,202 Speaker 4: a comic book, which was unusual. 99 00:05:33,562 --> 00:05:37,522 Speaker 1: Yeah, a comic book, which would become important later. At home, 100 00:05:37,682 --> 00:05:40,522 Speaker 1: he pushes the cartridge into his Atari twenty six hundred. 101 00:05:41,082 --> 00:05:43,282 Speaker 1: A shimmering sword appears on screen. 102 00:05:45,882 --> 00:05:48,042 Speaker 4: Well, I was definitely super excited. By this time. The 103 00:05:48,322 --> 00:05:51,402 Speaker 4: Atari had been moved to my bedroom. Unfortunately, I had 104 00:05:51,402 --> 00:05:53,402 Speaker 4: a black and white TV at the time, not color, 105 00:05:53,482 --> 00:05:55,562 Speaker 4: so I couldn't see it. But when you plug the 106 00:05:55,602 --> 00:05:58,842 Speaker 4: game in for the first time, there's this magical, colorful 107 00:05:58,882 --> 00:06:01,002 Speaker 4: sword that comes on the screen, which in color looks 108 00:06:01,002 --> 00:06:03,842 Speaker 4: pretty impressive, even for Atari twenty six hundred. And then 109 00:06:03,882 --> 00:06:05,922 Speaker 4: you press the button to get started, and there you are. 110 00:06:08,402 --> 00:06:11,802 Speaker 1: Bert became immersed in a world of sorcery and magic, 111 00:06:12,082 --> 00:06:15,562 Speaker 1: wizards and demons, and if he could navigate it successfully. 112 00:06:15,802 --> 00:06:19,162 Speaker 1: There was a prize at the end for this first game. 113 00:06:19,282 --> 00:06:22,602 Speaker 1: It was a talisman, a solid gold pendant valued at 114 00:06:22,602 --> 00:06:26,242 Speaker 1: twenty five thousand dollars or the equivalent of about eighty 115 00:06:26,282 --> 00:06:29,522 Speaker 1: thousand dollars today. That was more than a lot of 116 00:06:29,522 --> 00:06:33,002 Speaker 1: people made in an entire year. For the first time, 117 00:06:33,362 --> 00:06:35,842 Speaker 1: a home video game could pay off with a real, 118 00:06:36,242 --> 00:06:39,722 Speaker 1: tangible reward, a prize that held enough value to pay 119 00:06:39,762 --> 00:06:43,242 Speaker 1: for college or a new car. But what started as 120 00:06:43,242 --> 00:06:46,122 Speaker 1: a video game promotion would quickly become one of the 121 00:06:46,122 --> 00:06:49,922 Speaker 1: most controversial moments in eighties pop culture, with a lot 122 00:06:49,962 --> 00:06:54,202 Speaker 1: of broken promises, urban myths, payoffs, and a central mystery 123 00:06:54,402 --> 00:06:58,802 Speaker 1: that's consumed fans for decades, a mystery that involves real, 124 00:06:59,282 --> 00:07:03,922 Speaker 1: not imagined, lost treasure. Atari promised tens of thousands of 125 00:07:03,962 --> 00:07:07,122 Speaker 1: players the chance to have a massive sword to be 126 00:07:07,202 --> 00:07:13,602 Speaker 1: crowned the king of video games. That wasn't exactly what happened. Bert, 127 00:07:13,682 --> 00:07:17,922 Speaker 1: of course, didn't know any of this, not yet. Right now, 128 00:07:18,002 --> 00:07:23,482 Speaker 1: there's no conspiracy theories, no accusations, no crestfallen kids. He 129 00:07:23,522 --> 00:07:27,042 Speaker 1: wraps his hand around the Joystick keeps his thumb hovering 130 00:07:27,162 --> 00:07:31,562 Speaker 1: over the red button and hits start. The sword Quest 131 00:07:31,562 --> 00:07:35,122 Speaker 1: competition is about to begin, and video games will never 132 00:07:35,202 --> 00:07:40,322 Speaker 1: be the same. For iHeartRadio, this is the legend of 133 00:07:40,402 --> 00:07:43,482 Speaker 1: sword Quest. I'm your host, Jamie Loftus and this is 134 00:07:43,522 --> 00:07:52,842 Speaker 1: episode one, The Sword and the Stone. In nineteen eighty two, 135 00:07:53,322 --> 00:07:57,042 Speaker 1: Et was the film everyone wanted to see. Spider Man 136 00:07:57,082 --> 00:08:00,402 Speaker 1: was one of the most popular comic book characters. Journey 137 00:08:00,562 --> 00:08:03,322 Speaker 1: was a big concert act. All three of these things 138 00:08:03,362 --> 00:08:06,802 Speaker 1: had something in common. They were also available as game. 139 00:08:07,002 --> 00:08:10,442 Speaker 1: You could play on the Atari video computer system. Yes, 140 00:08:10,682 --> 00:08:13,642 Speaker 1: you could play as a member of Journey, although the 141 00:08:13,722 --> 00:08:16,242 Speaker 1: very limited sound chips of the time didn't really do 142 00:08:16,362 --> 00:08:24,802 Speaker 1: their music justice. Atari wasn't just the biggest thing in gaming. 143 00:08:25,162 --> 00:08:28,882 Speaker 1: It really was the only thing in gaming. Sure there 144 00:08:28,882 --> 00:08:32,442 Speaker 1: were rival home game consoles, but none could approach Atari's 145 00:08:32,482 --> 00:08:37,642 Speaker 1: market dominance or its cultural cachet. Atari was like Kleenex. 146 00:08:38,242 --> 00:08:42,162 Speaker 1: People didn't play video games. They played Atari. Walk into 147 00:08:42,162 --> 00:08:44,962 Speaker 1: a McDonald and you could grab a special Atari scratch 148 00:08:45,002 --> 00:08:48,682 Speaker 1: off ticket to win free games. When politicians advocated for 149 00:08:48,802 --> 00:08:52,442 Speaker 1: high tech business development to create jobs, the press dubbed 150 00:08:52,482 --> 00:08:57,122 Speaker 1: them Atari democrats. When Harrison Ford runs through the rainy 151 00:08:57,242 --> 00:09:01,162 Speaker 1: Neon Alleys. In Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, audiences catch a 152 00:09:01,202 --> 00:09:05,282 Speaker 1: glimpse of a massive Atari logo, that three line graphic 153 00:09:05,362 --> 00:09:08,842 Speaker 1: that promised a trip into a world of unlimited imagination. 154 00:09:09,402 --> 00:09:12,962 Speaker 1: That film took place in twenty nineteen, meaning Atari was 155 00:09:13,002 --> 00:09:15,602 Speaker 1: set to rule the gaming realm for a long time 156 00:09:15,642 --> 00:09:20,282 Speaker 1: to come. The logo being in Scott's movie was no accident. 157 00:09:20,762 --> 00:09:24,322 Speaker 1: Blade Runner was released by Giant Movie Studio Warner Brothers, 158 00:09:24,762 --> 00:09:28,842 Speaker 1: and Warner Brothers was owned by Warner Communications, a massive 159 00:09:28,842 --> 00:09:33,922 Speaker 1: media conglomerate that also owned, among other things, Atari. But 160 00:09:34,002 --> 00:09:36,962 Speaker 1: Atari wasn't some up and coming division. In the first 161 00:09:37,042 --> 00:09:40,082 Speaker 1: nine months of nineteen eighty two, it was responsible for 162 00:09:40,202 --> 00:09:44,682 Speaker 1: nearly fifty percent of Warner's overall revenue. It was making 163 00:09:44,722 --> 00:09:47,802 Speaker 1: more money than their films were, with cash registers ringing 164 00:09:47,882 --> 00:09:51,522 Speaker 1: up over a billion dollars in systems and games. That 165 00:09:51,682 --> 00:09:54,642 Speaker 1: was the first Golden Age of video games. Though it 166 00:09:54,682 --> 00:09:57,922 Speaker 1: wasn't the first home console, Atari was for many people 167 00:09:58,162 --> 00:10:00,442 Speaker 1: the only way to play, and. 168 00:10:00,362 --> 00:10:03,042 Speaker 7: That was exciting. When I was at Atari, we were 169 00:10:03,122 --> 00:10:08,762 Speaker 7: literally creating and defining the medium of interactive television entertainment 170 00:10:09,202 --> 00:10:12,722 Speaker 7: that had never happened before. Until that point, television was 171 00:10:12,762 --> 00:10:17,322 Speaker 7: a passive entertainment form one hundred percent, and we turned 172 00:10:17,362 --> 00:10:22,522 Speaker 7: it into an active entertainment form, and that was revolutionary 173 00:10:22,642 --> 00:10:24,842 Speaker 7: in ways they're still rippling through society. 174 00:10:25,842 --> 00:10:29,002 Speaker 1: That's Howard Scott Warshaw. Howard was a game engineer for 175 00:10:29,042 --> 00:10:32,002 Speaker 1: Atari who was responsible for some of their biggest hits, 176 00:10:32,442 --> 00:10:34,482 Speaker 1: like a tie in game for Raiders of the Lost 177 00:10:34,522 --> 00:10:38,002 Speaker 1: Dark and Yar's Revenge. The jar of the title was 178 00:10:38,162 --> 00:10:41,522 Speaker 1: just the first name of the Atari CEO, Ray Kassar, 179 00:10:41,842 --> 00:10:46,202 Speaker 1: spelled backwards. That's Howard's humor. When you programmed Raiders, he 180 00:10:46,242 --> 00:10:49,042 Speaker 1: got his hand on a bullwhip to crack around the offices. 181 00:10:49,602 --> 00:10:52,682 Speaker 1: It also meant meaning Steven Spielberg to get the director's approval. 182 00:10:53,002 --> 00:10:55,802 Speaker 1: When Spielberg was nowhere to be seen, Howard gave himself 183 00:10:55,842 --> 00:10:56,882 Speaker 1: a tour of the studio. 184 00:10:57,522 --> 00:11:00,562 Speaker 7: I walked everywhere. I walked in and out as sets. 185 00:11:01,042 --> 00:11:05,682 Speaker 7: I saw my favorite shows. I stole things off of sets. 186 00:11:05,722 --> 00:11:07,802 Speaker 7: I hope the statute has run on that, but I 187 00:11:07,842 --> 00:11:10,722 Speaker 7: actually stole little pieces on a memorabilia from some of 188 00:11:10,802 --> 00:11:13,682 Speaker 7: the sets. It was just an amazing day to be 189 00:11:13,802 --> 00:11:17,522 Speaker 7: It was like a dream tour of the studio and 190 00:11:17,602 --> 00:11:20,042 Speaker 7: at the end I get to talk to Steven. 191 00:11:19,722 --> 00:11:24,562 Speaker 1: Spielberg to put Atari's status in perspective. Remember that video 192 00:11:24,602 --> 00:11:28,122 Speaker 1: rental stores weren't on every corner just yet. Many homes 193 00:11:28,122 --> 00:11:32,082 Speaker 1: didn't have cable television. Electronic home entertainment was limited to 194 00:11:32,162 --> 00:11:34,642 Speaker 1: what was on TV and whatever was playing on your 195 00:11:34,682 --> 00:11:38,482 Speaker 1: stereo or walkman. Having an Atari system was major. 196 00:11:39,522 --> 00:11:43,402 Speaker 7: Atari wasn't the first video game system. The Atari VCS 197 00:11:43,522 --> 00:11:45,882 Speaker 7: was not the first home video game system, but it 198 00:11:45,922 --> 00:11:49,842 Speaker 7: was the first home video game system to hit the stratosphere. 199 00:11:50,242 --> 00:11:53,842 Speaker 7: It was ubiquitous, It was everywhere. It was millions and 200 00:11:53,882 --> 00:11:57,202 Speaker 7: millions and millions and millions of units out in homes, 201 00:11:57,362 --> 00:11:59,362 Speaker 7: which no one had ever done before with a video 202 00:11:59,362 --> 00:12:03,722 Speaker 7: game system. Because Atari was a wholly owned subsidiary of 203 00:12:03,882 --> 00:12:08,642 Speaker 7: Warner Communications, which is a huge conglomerate, Warner was able 204 00:12:08,682 --> 00:12:12,322 Speaker 7: to roll their Atari money into their overall corporate picture. 205 00:12:12,602 --> 00:12:16,122 Speaker 7: People knew Warner was doing really well. Nobody knew just 206 00:12:16,282 --> 00:12:20,242 Speaker 7: what an amazing cash fountain Atari had turned into. 207 00:12:20,722 --> 00:12:24,362 Speaker 1: The Atari Video Computer System, later renamed the Atari twenty 208 00:12:24,402 --> 00:12:28,282 Speaker 1: six hundred, was released in nineteen seventy seven. The system 209 00:12:28,322 --> 00:12:31,842 Speaker 1: originally retailed for about two hundred dollars or almost one 210 00:12:31,842 --> 00:12:35,802 Speaker 1: thousand dollars today. While it sold well initially, it didn't 211 00:12:35,842 --> 00:12:39,562 Speaker 1: really take off until the nineteen eighty release of Space Invaders, 212 00:12:40,242 --> 00:12:44,402 Speaker 1: which had players shooting an endless armada of aliens. You 213 00:12:44,442 --> 00:12:47,602 Speaker 1: can't really say enough about the arcade version of Space 214 00:12:47,642 --> 00:12:52,082 Speaker 1: Invaders as a phenomenon. It grossed nearly four billion dollars 215 00:12:52,162 --> 00:12:54,482 Speaker 1: by nineteen eighty three, which makes it one of the 216 00:12:54,482 --> 00:12:59,802 Speaker 1: most successful entertainment properties in history, not just games, any 217 00:13:00,002 --> 00:13:04,602 Speaker 1: entertainment property. When Atari released a home version, it established 218 00:13:04,642 --> 00:13:07,602 Speaker 1: them as the company to beat. No longer did Space 219 00:13:07,642 --> 00:13:10,842 Speaker 1: Invaders fans have to brave senior arcades or pay a 220 00:13:10,882 --> 00:13:13,082 Speaker 1: cover charge at the bar to get their hands on 221 00:13:13,122 --> 00:13:16,602 Speaker 1: the game. Thanks in part to Space Invaders, by nineteen 222 00:13:16,602 --> 00:13:20,842 Speaker 1: eighty two, fifteen million Atari VCS systems had been sold. 223 00:13:21,242 --> 00:13:24,162 Speaker 1: Players would flip a toggle style switch on their system, 224 00:13:24,362 --> 00:13:26,922 Speaker 1: which resembled a station wagon thanks to the faux wood 225 00:13:26,922 --> 00:13:29,842 Speaker 1: grain design. There was a switch to select whether you 226 00:13:29,922 --> 00:13:33,122 Speaker 1: had a black and white or color television, and another 227 00:13:33,202 --> 00:13:36,642 Speaker 1: switch to select the difficulty setting. It was like being 228 00:13:36,682 --> 00:13:41,682 Speaker 1: in a cockpit. Why did then you'd select a cartridge 229 00:13:41,682 --> 00:13:43,962 Speaker 1: from your collection and jam it into the center of 230 00:13:44,002 --> 00:13:49,282 Speaker 1: the console. Space Invaders, Raiders, Centipede asteroids, all of them 231 00:13:49,322 --> 00:13:53,202 Speaker 1: with amazing painted art from Atari's in house illustrators, some 232 00:13:53,242 --> 00:13:56,042 Speaker 1: of whom went on to careers in fine art. The 233 00:13:56,242 --> 00:14:01,082 Speaker 1: art promised danger, excitement, the chance to become someone else, 234 00:14:01,642 --> 00:14:04,442 Speaker 1: someone who didn't have to go to school or work, 235 00:14:05,242 --> 00:14:11,482 Speaker 1: someone who slayed dragons. The graphics, well, they didn't exactly 236 00:14:11,562 --> 00:14:14,162 Speaker 1: move up to the box. Think of it this way. 237 00:14:14,722 --> 00:14:17,722 Speaker 1: When one Atari graphics artist applied for a job, she 238 00:14:17,802 --> 00:14:20,882 Speaker 1: submitted an art sample in needle point. It was a 239 00:14:20,922 --> 00:14:25,442 Speaker 1: pretty close approximation of the boxy visuals of the games. Kids, 240 00:14:25,482 --> 00:14:28,562 Speaker 1: of course, did not care. They grabbed the eight direction 241 00:14:28,682 --> 00:14:32,722 Speaker 1: joystick with one red button and played for hours. Most 242 00:14:32,762 --> 00:14:35,002 Speaker 1: games didn't have a pause option, so you'd have to 243 00:14:35,002 --> 00:14:36,962 Speaker 1: wait for a break in the action to go pee 244 00:14:37,202 --> 00:14:39,922 Speaker 1: and hope your little brother or sister wouldn't run into 245 00:14:39,962 --> 00:14:43,282 Speaker 1: the living room to mess up your progress. But by 246 00:14:43,362 --> 00:14:47,042 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty two, and in spite of Atari's massive success, 247 00:14:47,322 --> 00:14:49,682 Speaker 1: there were signs that things could be heading in a 248 00:14:49,682 --> 00:14:54,082 Speaker 1: different direction. Some competing systems, like Mattel's in television were 249 00:14:54,082 --> 00:14:58,202 Speaker 1: gaining ground with better graphics. The VCS was now five 250 00:14:58,242 --> 00:15:01,562 Speaker 1: years old, a fairly long time for a gaming system. 251 00:15:01,882 --> 00:15:05,522 Speaker 1: The Space Invader's phenomenon was winding down. Pac Man Fever 252 00:15:05,602 --> 00:15:09,442 Speaker 1: would soon cool off. There was a sense that Atari 253 00:15:09,522 --> 00:15:13,722 Speaker 1: needed to shake things up. For one thing, adventure games 254 00:15:13,762 --> 00:15:17,642 Speaker 1: were growing in popularity. One title, which had the very 255 00:15:17,722 --> 00:15:20,922 Speaker 1: on the nose name of Adventure, had been a big seller. 256 00:15:21,762 --> 00:15:24,682 Speaker 1: Something that sent players on a quest was appealing, as 257 00:15:24,682 --> 00:15:28,322 Speaker 1: opposed to fast twitch games like Space Invaders, which required 258 00:15:28,362 --> 00:15:32,162 Speaker 1: little more than hand eye coordination and rapid fire alien destruction. 259 00:15:33,202 --> 00:15:36,682 Speaker 1: For another, Warner Communications had a number of companies in 260 00:15:36,722 --> 00:15:41,682 Speaker 1: its portfolio. One of them was DC Comics, home to Superman, Batman, 261 00:15:41,762 --> 00:15:46,322 Speaker 1: Wonder Woman, and thousands of others. Another was The Franklin Mint, 262 00:15:46,682 --> 00:15:49,522 Speaker 1: which Warner bought in nineteen eighty one with money earned 263 00:15:49,522 --> 00:15:54,242 Speaker 1: from Atari's success. The Franklin Mint struck limited edition collectibles 264 00:15:54,602 --> 00:15:57,802 Speaker 1: like coins honoring great Americans, which was sort of cool, 265 00:15:58,322 --> 00:16:02,162 Speaker 1: and novelty thimbles, which absolutely were not. There was an 266 00:16:02,162 --> 00:16:05,722 Speaker 1: opportunity for all three companies to work in tandem to 267 00:16:05,802 --> 00:16:08,802 Speaker 1: keep Atari on top of the gaming world, and when 268 00:16:08,802 --> 00:16:11,362 Speaker 1: you owned a collectibles company, you could come up with 269 00:16:11,442 --> 00:16:12,162 Speaker 1: something special. 270 00:16:13,282 --> 00:16:16,642 Speaker 7: The prizes they actually did come up with for the 271 00:16:16,682 --> 00:16:21,042 Speaker 7: sword Quest series were pretty awesome. As I recall, there 272 00:16:21,122 --> 00:16:24,282 Speaker 7: was a talisman for however you want to take that, 273 00:16:24,802 --> 00:16:27,762 Speaker 7: and that had enough jewels and gems in it to 274 00:16:27,802 --> 00:16:30,522 Speaker 7: be worth twenty five thousand dollars. Then there was a 275 00:16:30,642 --> 00:16:34,722 Speaker 7: chalice that also was bitjeweled and valued at twenty five 276 00:16:34,802 --> 00:16:38,362 Speaker 7: thousand dollars, which is pretty impressive. Then there was a crown, 277 00:16:38,722 --> 00:16:40,402 Speaker 7: although anybody who won that I don't know if their 278 00:16:40,402 --> 00:16:43,122 Speaker 7: head would fit in it. But the crown was also 279 00:16:43,242 --> 00:16:45,162 Speaker 7: had enough jewels and came in and I think a 280 00:16:45,242 --> 00:16:47,882 Speaker 7: cool twenty five thousand dollars. And then there was the 281 00:16:47,922 --> 00:16:51,402 Speaker 7: Philosopher's Stone, which I don't think anybody knew what that 282 00:16:51,682 --> 00:16:55,322 Speaker 7: was before Harry Potter introduced that concept everybody, and that 283 00:16:55,442 --> 00:16:58,322 Speaker 7: also had enough jewels and gems to be where twenty 284 00:16:58,362 --> 00:17:01,442 Speaker 7: five thousand dollars. Those prizes were for each of the 285 00:17:01,522 --> 00:17:04,562 Speaker 7: four games, and then you had the grand prize that 286 00:17:04,682 --> 00:17:07,922 Speaker 7: after all four games had been won and those prizes 287 00:17:07,962 --> 00:17:12,162 Speaker 7: had been distributed, the grand prize was, of course a sword, 288 00:17:13,042 --> 00:17:16,322 Speaker 7: was the magic sword, the ultimate sword, because this is 289 00:17:16,402 --> 00:17:18,802 Speaker 7: sword Quest, so this was the quest for the sword, 290 00:17:18,962 --> 00:17:21,362 Speaker 7: and that sword had enough action going on that it 291 00:17:21,442 --> 00:17:24,602 Speaker 7: was actually valued at fifty thousand dollars at the time. 292 00:17:26,442 --> 00:17:29,642 Speaker 1: A game series in which real prizes could be won, 293 00:17:30,402 --> 00:17:33,882 Speaker 1: prizes that were worth a lot of money. That was 294 00:17:33,882 --> 00:17:37,402 Speaker 1: the idea. But what would it actually look like, feel like, 295 00:17:37,642 --> 00:17:40,842 Speaker 1: sound like. What they needed was someone who could bring 296 00:17:40,922 --> 00:17:45,602 Speaker 1: all these elements together. What this ambitious multimedia idea needed 297 00:17:46,002 --> 00:17:50,282 Speaker 1: was the Steven Spielberg of Atari. If Steven Spielberg got 298 00:17:50,322 --> 00:17:56,762 Speaker 1: really high on the job. In Atari's Sunnyvale, California campus, 299 00:17:57,002 --> 00:18:00,082 Speaker 1: the corporate powers that be were largely kept away from 300 00:18:00,122 --> 00:18:04,242 Speaker 1: the creative people, the programmers, writers, artists, and others who 301 00:18:04,282 --> 00:18:07,842 Speaker 1: made Atari's games come to life despite the systems, needle 302 00:18:07,842 --> 00:18:12,002 Speaker 1: point like graphics and limited processing power. One of Atari's 303 00:18:12,082 --> 00:18:14,362 Speaker 1: secret weapons was Todd Frye. 304 00:18:15,842 --> 00:18:20,682 Speaker 7: Of all the characters at Atari, Todd Frye is the king. 305 00:18:21,602 --> 00:18:26,202 Speaker 7: He is the character among characters. I met Todd Frye 306 00:18:27,122 --> 00:18:31,362 Speaker 7: on January twelfth of nineteen eighty one, and we are 307 00:18:31,402 --> 00:18:34,642 Speaker 7: still friends today. We are actually very good friends. Todd 308 00:18:34,642 --> 00:18:37,202 Speaker 7: is an amazing person. But the first time I met 309 00:18:37,282 --> 00:18:40,002 Speaker 7: Todd Frye, that's quite a story, because what it was was, 310 00:18:40,002 --> 00:18:42,362 Speaker 7: on my first day, Howard. 311 00:18:42,042 --> 00:18:46,042 Speaker 1: Walked into the Atari offices full of enthusiasm. What he 312 00:18:46,122 --> 00:18:49,802 Speaker 1: found were Atari offices full of marijuana smook. In nineteen 313 00:18:49,802 --> 00:18:54,402 Speaker 1: eighty Silicon Valley counterculture office environments were common, and Atari 314 00:18:54,602 --> 00:18:57,402 Speaker 1: was at the forefront. But at this way, no one 315 00:18:57,482 --> 00:18:58,762 Speaker 1: was submitting a yearine sample. 316 00:18:59,682 --> 00:19:02,122 Speaker 7: I was running around doing first day kind of stuff. 317 00:19:02,522 --> 00:19:05,442 Speaker 7: But towards the end of the day I finally settled 318 00:19:05,442 --> 00:19:07,562 Speaker 7: down and was just reading some man rules in the 319 00:19:07,602 --> 00:19:11,242 Speaker 7: office waiting, and then for the first time I encountered 320 00:19:11,282 --> 00:19:15,242 Speaker 7: Todd Fry. And what happens is Todd comes in. I'm 321 00:19:15,362 --> 00:19:19,162 Speaker 7: alone in the office. Todd comes in, slams the door 322 00:19:19,202 --> 00:19:23,162 Speaker 7: behind him, pulls out a little plastic bag, looks at me, 323 00:19:23,242 --> 00:19:26,002 Speaker 7: and says, I'm going to get high in here right now. 324 00:19:26,042 --> 00:19:27,482 Speaker 7: So if you don't want to be around this, you 325 00:19:27,522 --> 00:19:28,002 Speaker 7: need to leave. 326 00:19:28,842 --> 00:19:32,282 Speaker 1: Todd did exactly that, lighting up on the campus of 327 00:19:32,322 --> 00:19:34,522 Speaker 1: a multi billion dollar corporate enterprise. 328 00:19:35,922 --> 00:19:39,402 Speaker 5: So, but I like to I really want to add 329 00:19:39,442 --> 00:19:41,602 Speaker 5: some context to that. 330 00:19:41,602 --> 00:19:42,282 Speaker 1: That's Todd. 331 00:19:43,122 --> 00:19:47,322 Speaker 5: We were not getting high and sitting around playing video games. 332 00:19:48,362 --> 00:19:53,602 Speaker 5: We were hammering down on really really hard work. Some 333 00:19:53,722 --> 00:19:57,962 Speaker 5: of us. There was a culture of marijuana. Later on, 334 00:19:58,042 --> 00:20:01,042 Speaker 5: there was a culture of cocaine, cocaine blew through our 335 00:20:01,122 --> 00:20:04,802 Speaker 5: part of Silicon Valley like a snowstorm when the money hit. 336 00:20:05,442 --> 00:20:08,722 Speaker 5: And that's real. I have no idea what was going 337 00:20:08,762 --> 00:20:11,002 Speaker 5: on in the other companies. I have no idea that 338 00:20:11,002 --> 00:20:15,562 Speaker 5: Atari was typical atypical. I'm pretty sure that smoking right 339 00:20:15,602 --> 00:20:19,562 Speaker 5: in the office and getting people offices and other buildings 340 00:20:19,562 --> 00:20:24,042 Speaker 5: when they complain was not typical. Yeah, there was a 341 00:20:24,122 --> 00:20:30,002 Speaker 5: bizarre culture of drug relaxed, intense work. 342 00:20:31,642 --> 00:20:34,282 Speaker 1: Todd is from Berkeley, California, and got bit by the 343 00:20:34,282 --> 00:20:38,482 Speaker 1: computer bug early on, early enough to have used punch cards. 344 00:20:39,002 --> 00:20:42,962 Speaker 5: I fell into computers the way some people fall into 345 00:20:43,162 --> 00:20:48,322 Speaker 5: rock guitar. Right, it's for me. Computers are God, that's 346 00:20:48,362 --> 00:20:51,082 Speaker 5: going to sound so weird. Computers are to me what 347 00:20:51,202 --> 00:20:54,402 Speaker 5: double neck guitars are to Jimmy Page. Computers are to 348 00:20:54,442 --> 00:20:59,082 Speaker 5: me what a stratocaster left handed stratus right hand is 349 00:20:59,122 --> 00:21:01,842 Speaker 5: to Jimmy Hendrix. And yes, that is grandiose, is all. 350 00:21:02,602 --> 00:21:06,242 Speaker 5: But computers grabbed me by the back of my neck 351 00:21:06,322 --> 00:21:07,482 Speaker 5: and said we own you. 352 00:21:08,082 --> 00:21:12,162 Speaker 1: Todd loved computers, but wasn't exactly as passionate about school. 353 00:21:12,682 --> 00:21:15,402 Speaker 1: He dropped out of Berkeley High and was well without 354 00:21:15,442 --> 00:21:17,882 Speaker 1: a home for a bit. After spending some time as 355 00:21:17,882 --> 00:21:21,122 Speaker 1: a carpenter, Tod came to Atari in nineteen seventy nine 356 00:21:21,402 --> 00:21:25,722 Speaker 1: and quickly established himself as somewhat of an eccentric. He 357 00:21:25,762 --> 00:21:27,082 Speaker 1: got the nickname Arfman. 358 00:21:27,802 --> 00:21:31,802 Speaker 5: Arfman has to do with how I would just occasionally 359 00:21:31,802 --> 00:21:35,602 Speaker 5: make noises. I would bark, okay, so there we are. 360 00:21:35,642 --> 00:21:39,122 Speaker 5: We'd move to another building, and I late at night 361 00:21:39,362 --> 00:21:41,962 Speaker 5: and the day I might be working walking from one 362 00:21:41,962 --> 00:21:44,682 Speaker 5: office to another and go perf. 363 00:21:45,682 --> 00:21:49,202 Speaker 1: But Tod's legend, it doesn't end there. His greatest legacy, 364 00:21:49,282 --> 00:21:52,522 Speaker 1: apart from game design, may have been his seeming rejection 365 00:21:52,682 --> 00:21:55,922 Speaker 1: of gravity. Todd had a pair of Nike running shoes 366 00:21:55,962 --> 00:21:58,202 Speaker 1: with some pretty good grip on the soles, and he 367 00:21:58,282 --> 00:22:01,362 Speaker 1: found that in one particular hallway, which was very narrow, 368 00:22:01,722 --> 00:22:05,402 Speaker 1: he could touch both walls with his feet. Then he 369 00:22:05,482 --> 00:22:08,162 Speaker 1: figured out he could actually get off the ground about 370 00:22:08,162 --> 00:22:11,002 Speaker 1: eight inches and himmy his way forward. 371 00:22:11,082 --> 00:22:15,482 Speaker 5: And then I could jump. I could hop and go forward. 372 00:22:15,522 --> 00:22:18,282 Speaker 5: I could hop forward by manipulating my center of gravity. 373 00:22:18,322 --> 00:22:21,042 Speaker 5: I could hop forward, pop my feet back on the wall. 374 00:22:21,242 --> 00:22:21,442 Speaker 1: Bare. 375 00:22:22,602 --> 00:22:24,962 Speaker 5: It was hilarious. I'm running down the hallways, hop in 376 00:22:25,042 --> 00:22:29,202 Speaker 5: the floor bare bare, you know, jumping about two feet 377 00:22:29,202 --> 00:22:32,242 Speaker 5: each time, and then I can hop upwards. So I'm 378 00:22:32,282 --> 00:22:35,522 Speaker 5: sitting there, my feet are four feet above the ground, 379 00:22:35,562 --> 00:22:38,522 Speaker 5: and I'm like curled up next to the ceiling. So that's, 380 00:22:39,002 --> 00:22:41,682 Speaker 5: you know, just right in the middle of the hallway. 381 00:22:42,482 --> 00:22:45,202 Speaker 1: But like Acorus, Todd flew too close to the sun 382 00:22:45,722 --> 00:22:49,242 Speaker 1: or ceiling. One day while he was walking the walls, 383 00:22:49,562 --> 00:22:51,322 Speaker 1: he ran into the overhead sprinkler. 384 00:22:52,002 --> 00:22:53,682 Speaker 5: One day, I was doing it in the hallway. Don't 385 00:22:53,722 --> 00:22:56,882 Speaker 5: usually do it in and in that hallway the modulo 386 00:22:56,962 --> 00:22:58,842 Speaker 5: of where sprinklers were laid out as there was a 387 00:22:58,882 --> 00:23:01,802 Speaker 5: sprinkler right around the middle of the ceiling. And when 388 00:23:01,802 --> 00:23:05,802 Speaker 5: I went to Dismount, I went up and forward and 389 00:23:06,002 --> 00:23:10,562 Speaker 5: right into a spring with my forehead cut a inch 390 00:23:10,602 --> 00:23:15,002 Speaker 5: and a half gash in Mike temple and bleeding all 391 00:23:15,002 --> 00:23:19,362 Speaker 5: over the way Headmon's bleed. And that's the sprinkler lobotomy. 392 00:23:20,162 --> 00:23:22,002 Speaker 5: That was the end of the wallwalk. I do not 393 00:23:22,122 --> 00:23:23,402 Speaker 5: remember doing it ever since. 394 00:23:24,442 --> 00:23:27,522 Speaker 1: Todd suffered no last incognitive damage that we know of. 395 00:23:27,962 --> 00:23:30,962 Speaker 1: And if you find Todd eccentric, well that's a part 396 00:23:30,962 --> 00:23:33,962 Speaker 1: of being on the cutting edge. Perhaps only Todd could 397 00:23:33,962 --> 00:23:37,122 Speaker 1: have conceived a sword quest, and it was a bold idea. 398 00:23:37,762 --> 00:23:41,002 Speaker 1: Instead of buying one game, consumers would feel compelled to 399 00:23:41,042 --> 00:23:44,442 Speaker 1: buy four. Each would have a comic book created by 400 00:23:44,562 --> 00:23:47,842 Speaker 1: DC Comics, and like the elaborate box art, it would 401 00:23:47,882 --> 00:23:49,002 Speaker 1: help sell the fantasy. 402 00:23:50,442 --> 00:23:54,962 Speaker 5: DC Comics was owned by Warrant Communications and we started 403 00:23:54,962 --> 00:23:56,602 Speaker 5: doing comic books. We were DC. 404 00:23:56,522 --> 00:24:00,082 Speaker 1: Comics, and instead of playing for bragging rights, gamers would 405 00:24:00,082 --> 00:24:03,962 Speaker 1: be playing for real, tangible prizes made by the Franklin Mint. 406 00:24:04,482 --> 00:24:08,162 Speaker 1: Each one would be appropriately regal. There was the Talisman, 407 00:24:08,362 --> 00:24:11,602 Speaker 1: a donut sized dial, the chalice which the winner could 408 00:24:11,602 --> 00:24:16,442 Speaker 1: sip from, the crown, the Philosopher's Stone made of white jade, 409 00:24:16,922 --> 00:24:21,042 Speaker 1: and finally, the Sword of Ultimate Sorcery, which would be 410 00:24:21,082 --> 00:24:24,722 Speaker 1: the grand prize on the line for the four winners. Understand, 411 00:24:24,922 --> 00:24:28,482 Speaker 1: these weren't toys or trinkets. One hundred and fifty thousand 412 00:24:28,482 --> 00:24:32,042 Speaker 1: dollars was a lot of money then and now, and 413 00:24:32,042 --> 00:24:35,362 Speaker 1: the Franklin Mint specialized in handcrafting items that wouldn't have 414 00:24:35,402 --> 00:24:36,922 Speaker 1: looked out of place in a museum. 415 00:24:37,482 --> 00:24:39,882 Speaker 5: The other thing that was all me was the contest 416 00:24:40,682 --> 00:24:44,642 Speaker 5: and prizes from Franklin Mint. Franklin was another cousin company 417 00:24:44,882 --> 00:24:48,322 Speaker 5: and they make collectibles, and so it's like why not 418 00:24:49,082 --> 00:24:52,722 Speaker 5: have contests built into the games and comic books for 419 00:24:52,802 --> 00:24:55,402 Speaker 5: the games. We'll make it kind of literary, and then 420 00:24:55,402 --> 00:24:59,602 Speaker 5: we'll have collectible prizes for the contest, and you know 421 00:24:59,642 --> 00:25:02,242 Speaker 5: the whole. I think it starts out. I forget a lot, 422 00:25:02,362 --> 00:25:05,002 Speaker 5: but it's a hero's journey and a grail quest. 423 00:25:06,122 --> 00:25:08,922 Speaker 1: There's an interest early idea that didn't quite make it 424 00:25:08,962 --> 00:25:12,442 Speaker 1: off the drawing board at first. Someone and Todd isn't 425 00:25:12,442 --> 00:25:15,722 Speaker 1: sure who had the idea to offer not just treasure, 426 00:25:15,962 --> 00:25:20,282 Speaker 1: but buried treasure, sending gamers off to far flung coordinates 427 00:25:20,282 --> 00:25:23,762 Speaker 1: where they could dig up the prizes. It felt appropriately 428 00:25:23,802 --> 00:25:27,962 Speaker 1: epic and kind of insane, actually, but Atari did issue 429 00:25:27,962 --> 00:25:30,842 Speaker 1: press material early on in which they promised the winners 430 00:25:30,842 --> 00:25:36,162 Speaker 1: would do just that unearth buried loot. You can imagine 431 00:25:36,162 --> 00:25:40,242 Speaker 1: what Atari's lawyers thought of people, including kids, digging up 432 00:25:40,282 --> 00:25:44,202 Speaker 1: property or property they thought held a big prize. So 433 00:25:44,282 --> 00:25:47,962 Speaker 1: that idea was abandoned, but the objective of awarding actual 434 00:25:48,042 --> 00:25:52,602 Speaker 1: prizes stained. This wasn't totally unheard of at the time. 435 00:25:53,082 --> 00:25:56,282 Speaker 1: Many Atari games promised players a cool clothing patch if 436 00:25:56,282 --> 00:25:59,442 Speaker 1: they submitted proof of a high score, and there had 437 00:25:59,482 --> 00:26:02,682 Speaker 1: been arcade tournaments in which modest prize money was offered. 438 00:26:03,642 --> 00:26:06,922 Speaker 1: Atari sponsored a few of those, and even recognized players 439 00:26:06,962 --> 00:26:10,282 Speaker 1: who set records for blasting away at asteroids. The longest 440 00:26:11,082 --> 00:26:15,202 Speaker 1: the record holder Dennis Hernandez, who played for fifty hours 441 00:26:15,282 --> 00:26:19,242 Speaker 1: and twelve minutes. He was so dazed after he finished 442 00:26:19,402 --> 00:26:22,442 Speaker 1: that he lost consciousness and tumbled down a flight of stairs. 443 00:26:23,922 --> 00:26:27,922 Speaker 1: But sword Quest wouldn't be a physical endurance test. It 444 00:26:27,962 --> 00:26:30,162 Speaker 1: was a home game. That's really the only way it 445 00:26:30,162 --> 00:26:33,322 Speaker 1: could have worked. Because of the way the games were designed, 446 00:26:33,642 --> 00:26:37,402 Speaker 1: players would need to spend hours playing and studying them. 447 00:26:37,642 --> 00:26:40,042 Speaker 1: You can't do that at a pizza hunt. That the 448 00:26:40,042 --> 00:26:43,122 Speaker 1: sword Quest series would be mythic in nature was easy, 449 00:26:43,802 --> 00:26:47,362 Speaker 1: But what kind of story would the games tell? Atari 450 00:26:47,402 --> 00:26:50,282 Speaker 1: and Todd were both slightly ahead of their time here too. 451 00:26:50,442 --> 00:26:53,682 Speaker 1: In May nineteen eighty two, just before the first game 452 00:26:53,762 --> 00:26:57,442 Speaker 1: was to be released, Conan the Barbarian hit theaters. It 453 00:26:57,522 --> 00:27:01,002 Speaker 1: was a massive and sincere sword and sorcery epics, durring 454 00:27:01,122 --> 00:27:05,642 Speaker 1: Arnold Schwarzenegger as the pulp hero. That same year, Mattel 455 00:27:05,722 --> 00:27:09,482 Speaker 1: debuted the Masters of the Universe toy line, featuring massively 456 00:27:09,602 --> 00:27:13,802 Speaker 1: muscled heroes and villains like he Man Skeletor and beast Man. 457 00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:18,362 Speaker 1: Dungeons and Dragons meanwhile, had been going strong for years 458 00:27:18,442 --> 00:27:22,522 Speaker 1: on the dining room tables of role playing enthusiasts. The 459 00:27:22,562 --> 00:27:25,682 Speaker 1: timing seemed perfect for a high fantasy game from Atari, 460 00:27:26,282 --> 00:27:29,602 Speaker 1: and it was also good timing for Warner Communications, which 461 00:27:29,642 --> 00:27:32,922 Speaker 1: was depending on Atari to keep their overall business thriving. 462 00:27:34,122 --> 00:27:38,282 Speaker 1: Warner was and is a powerhouse entertainment company, but their 463 00:27:38,322 --> 00:27:41,522 Speaker 1: movies of the era weren't doing all that well. They 464 00:27:41,522 --> 00:27:44,602 Speaker 1: had just had a big flop with Under the Rainbow 465 00:27:44,962 --> 00:27:48,402 Speaker 1: and espionage comedy starring Chevy Chase and set against the 466 00:27:48,402 --> 00:27:51,922 Speaker 1: backdrop of actors auditioning to play Munchkins and the Wizard 467 00:27:51,962 --> 00:27:56,522 Speaker 1: of Oz and no, it wasn't based on a true story. 468 00:27:56,602 --> 00:27:59,842 Speaker 1: Because of how important Atari was to the company, there 469 00:27:59,922 --> 00:28:03,482 Speaker 1: was no problem getting approval for their big multimedia gamble. 470 00:28:04,322 --> 00:28:08,042 Speaker 1: In fact, Warner saw the advantages of cross promoting their products, 471 00:28:08,642 --> 00:28:11,322 Speaker 1: and they had faith in Todd, who had just poured 472 00:28:11,402 --> 00:28:14,162 Speaker 1: it over the arcade Megahit pac Man, which was a 473 00:28:14,322 --> 00:28:19,282 Speaker 1: huge success. At least that's probably what happened. Remember that 474 00:28:19,362 --> 00:28:21,322 Speaker 1: Todd hit his head really hard on that sprinkler. 475 00:28:21,842 --> 00:28:26,162 Speaker 5: There was a proposal, there was a let's get the 476 00:28:26,202 --> 00:28:29,802 Speaker 5: comic book people, and you know, to a certain extent, 477 00:28:29,882 --> 00:28:32,042 Speaker 5: I was riding the way for a sword Quest of 478 00:28:32,082 --> 00:28:36,682 Speaker 5: having just had pac Man released, right, so I may 479 00:28:36,682 --> 00:28:39,962 Speaker 5: have had some cred I don't really know, but I 480 00:28:40,042 --> 00:28:42,802 Speaker 5: do not remember the specifics of that. I really do not. 481 00:28:43,242 --> 00:28:45,522 Speaker 5: I don't think I ever went over to corporate HQ 482 00:28:45,842 --> 00:28:48,642 Speaker 5: and said, here's my grab scheme for the future of 483 00:28:48,682 --> 00:28:52,242 Speaker 5: adventure games. I think I wrote some docs and they 484 00:28:52,242 --> 00:28:55,362 Speaker 5: went up one level and just kind of got a 485 00:28:55,402 --> 00:28:55,922 Speaker 5: green light. 486 00:28:56,722 --> 00:28:59,442 Speaker 1: Todd's idea was that each game would be centered on 487 00:28:59,562 --> 00:29:04,802 Speaker 1: four elements, Earth, fire, water, and air. Each would also 488 00:29:04,842 --> 00:29:09,802 Speaker 1: get slightly existential, focusing on a different philosophical or spiritual template. 489 00:29:10,562 --> 00:29:15,042 Speaker 1: The first Earth world was built around astrological signs. Later 490 00:29:15,122 --> 00:29:18,082 Speaker 1: games would take inspiration from the Kabbala or the Iching. 491 00:29:18,802 --> 00:29:22,162 Speaker 1: It was actually pretty heavy stuff for the era, which 492 00:29:22,242 --> 00:29:26,482 Speaker 1: was usually preoccupied with alien sports or shooting things, not 493 00:29:26,642 --> 00:29:28,362 Speaker 1: the meaning of life. 494 00:29:28,642 --> 00:29:33,402 Speaker 5: One is that there is actually a lot of genuine 495 00:29:33,442 --> 00:29:37,802 Speaker 5: literary contexts behind it. Very ambitious. I mean, you know, 496 00:29:38,242 --> 00:29:44,442 Speaker 5: the Zodiac, the Kabbala, the Chakras. It's a grail quest, 497 00:29:44,882 --> 00:29:49,242 Speaker 5: it's a hero's journey and it's all explicitly tied up 498 00:29:49,282 --> 00:29:55,602 Speaker 5: with those mythopoetic Joseph Campbell kind of components. So I 499 00:29:55,682 --> 00:30:00,562 Speaker 5: dragged in all of this cultural artifacts, this literacy. I mean, 500 00:30:00,602 --> 00:30:02,682 Speaker 5: it is so weird to hear me say that. But 501 00:30:02,762 --> 00:30:07,842 Speaker 5: I dragged in a very literate framework for sword Quest. 502 00:30:08,882 --> 00:30:13,282 Speaker 5: And I dragged in the puzzle and Franklin Mint and 503 00:30:13,322 --> 00:30:15,882 Speaker 5: the real things which I don't think had ever been done, 504 00:30:16,082 --> 00:30:18,282 Speaker 5: and tied that to the comic book. So there are 505 00:30:18,282 --> 00:30:22,362 Speaker 5: two completely separate things that I brought together. And then 506 00:30:22,802 --> 00:30:25,562 Speaker 5: we took the adventure aspect of run around to do 507 00:30:25,642 --> 00:30:29,322 Speaker 5: stuff and see what happens and have puzzles built into it. 508 00:30:29,922 --> 00:30:34,202 Speaker 5: And the Twitch minigames include all that together. And just 509 00:30:34,322 --> 00:30:38,722 Speaker 5: like listing the number of ambitious sub things that I 510 00:30:38,802 --> 00:30:45,282 Speaker 5: merged into one set of dependencies, it sounds like over ambitious. 511 00:30:46,202 --> 00:30:47,882 Speaker 5: It's like, jeez, what you got to lose? 512 00:30:49,202 --> 00:30:52,522 Speaker 1: Earth Roll would be unique in another way too. It 513 00:30:52,562 --> 00:30:55,882 Speaker 1: was an easy rebuttal for parents and psychologists who believed 514 00:30:56,002 --> 00:30:59,522 Speaker 1: video games were a waste of time maybe somewhere, but 515 00:30:59,682 --> 00:31:01,682 Speaker 1: a game in which you could win a prize worth 516 00:31:01,762 --> 00:31:05,362 Speaker 1: twenty five thousand dollars was a different story. And having 517 00:31:05,402 --> 00:31:08,562 Speaker 1: gamers feel compelled to buy four games was good too, 518 00:31:08,882 --> 00:31:10,482 Speaker 1: though technically they didn't have. 519 00:31:10,442 --> 00:31:13,362 Speaker 5: To if you liked any of them, and you should 520 00:31:13,362 --> 00:31:14,122 Speaker 5: start at the beginning. 521 00:31:15,802 --> 00:31:19,442 Speaker 1: Todd didn't work alone. He had programmers like Dan Hichins 522 00:31:19,442 --> 00:31:23,162 Speaker 1: to help create the games. Dan actually programmed Earth World. 523 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:26,202 Speaker 1: Thanks to his efforts, that first game was ready in 524 00:31:26,242 --> 00:31:29,282 Speaker 1: time for its October nineteen eighty two release date. But 525 00:31:29,402 --> 00:31:32,482 Speaker 1: this wasn't just another Atari title. This was something the 526 00:31:32,482 --> 00:31:35,962 Speaker 1: company was hoping would usher in a new era, one 527 00:31:36,002 --> 00:31:39,802 Speaker 1: in which Atari was going to further establish its marketplace dominance. 528 00:31:40,722 --> 00:31:43,722 Speaker 1: Its games were, after all, bigger than a lot of movies. 529 00:31:44,442 --> 00:31:47,882 Speaker 1: Atari needed to make sure everyone knew about the game. 530 00:31:48,482 --> 00:31:50,722 Speaker 1: In order to do that, they had to go big. 531 00:31:55,602 --> 00:31:59,722 Speaker 1: New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel was once the world's largest. 532 00:32:00,162 --> 00:32:04,882 Speaker 1: At forty seven stories, it loomed over Manhattan. American Royalty, 533 00:32:05,002 --> 00:32:08,602 Speaker 1: like Clark Gables, stayed there, so did British Royalty, Like 534 00:32:08,722 --> 00:32:12,882 Speaker 1: Queen Elizabeth Waldorf, one of the Heckling puppets on The 535 00:32:12,922 --> 00:32:16,802 Speaker 1: Muppet Show was named after it. There was and is 536 00:32:16,962 --> 00:32:20,762 Speaker 1: a certain cultural significance to the property, which is why 537 00:32:20,762 --> 00:32:24,522 Speaker 1: Atari chose the Waldorf to formally announce the arrival of 538 00:32:24,602 --> 00:32:26,922 Speaker 1: sword Quest. Here's Howard again. 539 00:32:28,282 --> 00:32:31,642 Speaker 7: When sword Quest came out, there was a huge splash 540 00:32:31,722 --> 00:32:35,562 Speaker 7: because they had the prizes, and that was the whole thing, 541 00:32:35,722 --> 00:32:38,522 Speaker 7: was the ad campaign for sword Quest, because it's not 542 00:32:38,642 --> 00:32:41,242 Speaker 7: much fun to have a contest nobody knows about, right, 543 00:32:41,562 --> 00:32:43,402 Speaker 7: so you've got to hype the hell out of it. 544 00:32:43,562 --> 00:32:46,042 Speaker 7: That's what you have to do with something like this. 545 00:32:46,482 --> 00:32:49,602 Speaker 7: So one great thing about sword Quest was it got 546 00:32:49,602 --> 00:32:54,402 Speaker 7: a tremendous marketing push because they needed to make everyone 547 00:32:54,442 --> 00:32:57,922 Speaker 7: aware and it's a great hook. So the splash was big. 548 00:32:57,962 --> 00:33:00,522 Speaker 7: It was really kind of a hype thing. I can 549 00:33:00,602 --> 00:33:03,442 Speaker 7: remember feeling a little jealous and thinking, man, that's really cool. 550 00:33:03,522 --> 00:33:05,962 Speaker 7: He's really getting a huge push for the game. 551 00:33:07,042 --> 00:33:09,122 Speaker 1: The press conference in the fall of nineteen eighty two 552 00:33:09,482 --> 00:33:12,482 Speaker 1: was like nothing the video game industry had ever seen, 553 00:33:13,442 --> 00:33:17,002 Speaker 1: although to be fair, the video game industry wasn't very old. 554 00:33:17,442 --> 00:33:20,922 Speaker 1: The company took over the hotel's grand ballroom, decorating it 555 00:33:20,962 --> 00:33:25,282 Speaker 1: with Zodiac iconography. Lights flashed and sand was tossed around, 556 00:33:25,402 --> 00:33:27,682 Speaker 1: which attendees probably had to shake out of their shoes. 557 00:33:27,722 --> 00:33:31,402 Speaker 1: Later on, as members of the press gathered, loud speakers 558 00:33:31,402 --> 00:33:35,802 Speaker 1: began playing a pre recorded audio drama that set the stage. 559 00:33:35,842 --> 00:33:38,842 Speaker 1: While we hope there was existing audio, we couldn't locate any, 560 00:33:39,162 --> 00:33:41,042 Speaker 1: so you'll have to settle for this recreation. 561 00:33:42,482 --> 00:33:45,682 Speaker 8: You may call us Mentor and Mentara. We would tell 562 00:33:45,722 --> 00:33:48,242 Speaker 8: you of your destiny, a destiny that will take you 563 00:33:48,282 --> 00:33:51,762 Speaker 8: across four worlds. A world of earth spirits, a world 564 00:33:51,842 --> 00:33:55,442 Speaker 8: of fire, a world of water sprites, and lastly a 565 00:33:55,482 --> 00:33:59,562 Speaker 8: world of air. On each world you will encounter a challenge, 566 00:33:59,722 --> 00:34:04,402 Speaker 8: perhaps more than one. Surmounting these challenges will make you stronger, wiser, 567 00:34:04,722 --> 00:34:07,482 Speaker 8: more courageous, and in the end, will give you your 568 00:34:07,522 --> 00:34:08,282 Speaker 8: heart's desire. 569 00:34:09,442 --> 00:34:13,242 Speaker 1: This was high drama worthy of he man or Conan, 570 00:34:14,082 --> 00:34:17,042 Speaker 1: and it wasn't over, according to an article published and 571 00:34:17,122 --> 00:34:21,362 Speaker 1: Video Gaming Illustrated. Journalists were then shown another set of 572 00:34:21,402 --> 00:34:25,242 Speaker 1: screens that displayed promotional artwork that helped explain the premise. 573 00:34:26,562 --> 00:34:30,882 Speaker 1: The two main characters were Tara and tor, two adventurous 574 00:34:30,922 --> 00:34:33,882 Speaker 1: siblings looking to avenge the death of their parents at 575 00:34:33,922 --> 00:34:37,082 Speaker 1: the hands of King Tyrannus. A number of clues would 576 00:34:37,082 --> 00:34:40,842 Speaker 1: be hidden in each game. Find them, submit them to Atari, 577 00:34:41,082 --> 00:34:43,642 Speaker 1: and you could be invited to a playoff for the prizes. 578 00:34:44,202 --> 00:34:47,482 Speaker 1: Here's Tom, Sorry, arfman I. 579 00:34:47,522 --> 00:34:51,882 Speaker 5: Designed the prizes according to a hero's journey path. A 580 00:34:51,922 --> 00:34:54,002 Speaker 5: hero's journey is a phrase you'd hear a lot about this. 581 00:34:54,842 --> 00:35:02,362 Speaker 5: It's a mythological healing, growth, aspiration, development, grail quest, Here's journey. 582 00:35:02,842 --> 00:35:04,562 Speaker 5: So it had to start small and get pig So 583 00:35:04,602 --> 00:35:08,202 Speaker 5: you had prizes for thieves, and p for warriors, and 584 00:35:08,362 --> 00:35:13,282 Speaker 5: prizes for Emperor King's price for wizards, the price for 585 00:35:13,402 --> 00:35:18,202 Speaker 5: the wizards, and as the Philosopher's Stone, ultimately the ability 586 00:35:18,202 --> 00:35:19,762 Speaker 5: to transmute. 587 00:35:19,962 --> 00:35:22,322 Speaker 1: But it wouldn't be enough to just play the games. 588 00:35:22,842 --> 00:35:25,282 Speaker 1: Players would have to read the mini comic book included 589 00:35:25,322 --> 00:35:29,642 Speaker 1: in the box. Inside the comic were hidden words the 590 00:35:29,682 --> 00:35:32,202 Speaker 1: game would guide you to their location in the comic. 591 00:35:32,682 --> 00:35:35,322 Speaker 1: Play the game, read the comic, and you were on 592 00:35:35,362 --> 00:35:39,642 Speaker 1: your way. It was marketing genius, but Atari wasn't relying 593 00:35:39,762 --> 00:35:42,522 Speaker 1: solely on the press to get the word out. They 594 00:35:42,602 --> 00:35:47,282 Speaker 1: launched a full fledged promotional assault. Displays went up in 595 00:35:47,322 --> 00:35:51,042 Speaker 1: stores with cardboard swords promising one hundred and fifty thousand 596 00:35:51,082 --> 00:35:55,082 Speaker 1: dollars in prizes. Members of the Atari fan Club got notices. 597 00:35:55,602 --> 00:35:59,562 Speaker 1: Subscribers to Atari Age magazine were blasted with hype. The 598 00:35:59,602 --> 00:36:04,562 Speaker 1: burgeoning video game press was inundated. The question was would 599 00:36:04,562 --> 00:36:09,042 Speaker 1: gamers really care at all? Wasn't being a mindless diversion 600 00:36:09,122 --> 00:36:11,962 Speaker 1: the entire point of games a way to park your 601 00:36:11,962 --> 00:36:15,402 Speaker 1: brain and neutral What if people didn't want to conquer 602 00:36:15,482 --> 00:36:19,842 Speaker 1: King Tyrannus, or navigate water sprites, or avenge their parents' debts? 603 00:36:20,522 --> 00:36:23,962 Speaker 1: But they did. As the weeks and months rolled on, 604 00:36:24,442 --> 00:36:28,082 Speaker 1: it was clear that sword Quest was paying off. Atari 605 00:36:28,162 --> 00:36:32,322 Speaker 1: sold five hundred thousand copies of Earthworld, a major success 606 00:36:32,362 --> 00:36:35,322 Speaker 1: by any metric. That was a half million people who 607 00:36:35,402 --> 00:36:38,002 Speaker 1: were willing to pay thirty four dollars for a chance 608 00:36:38,042 --> 00:36:42,202 Speaker 1: at winning twenty five thousand dollars or more. Across the country, 609 00:36:42,322 --> 00:36:45,882 Speaker 1: they settled into their shag carpeting, twisting their joysticks to 610 00:36:45,882 --> 00:36:49,122 Speaker 1: find the hidden virtual treasure that could be exchanged for 611 00:36:49,282 --> 00:36:54,602 Speaker 1: real treasure. Homework went by the wayside, so did sleep, Journey, cartridges, 612 00:36:54,642 --> 00:36:59,322 Speaker 1: collected dust, Space Invaders was cast aside. Sword Quest became 613 00:36:59,362 --> 00:37:03,362 Speaker 1: a nationwide treasure hunt organized by the biggest name in gaming. 614 00:37:04,002 --> 00:37:06,562 Speaker 1: This wasn't just a chance for a prize. It was 615 00:37:06,562 --> 00:37:10,162 Speaker 1: a chance to validate a hobby and passion, a chance 616 00:37:10,162 --> 00:37:12,762 Speaker 1: for kids to tell their parents that video games weren't 617 00:37:12,762 --> 00:37:15,242 Speaker 1: a waste of time that a kid could maybe give 618 00:37:15,322 --> 00:37:18,042 Speaker 1: his parents an allowance instead of the other way around. 619 00:37:18,922 --> 00:37:22,122 Speaker 1: The stakes were high for Atari too. Other game consoles 620 00:37:22,122 --> 00:37:26,882 Speaker 1: were heading shelves. Consumers were complaining about disappointing games like Karate, 621 00:37:27,242 --> 00:37:30,722 Speaker 1: which had two crudely rendered stick people fighting, or even 622 00:37:30,762 --> 00:37:33,922 Speaker 1: pac Man, which didn't compare favorably to the arcade version. 623 00:37:34,722 --> 00:37:39,122 Speaker 1: If this contest struck a chord, it would cement Atari's reputation. 624 00:37:39,762 --> 00:37:42,562 Speaker 1: It could make that Blade Runner future where Atari is 625 00:37:42,602 --> 00:37:46,282 Speaker 1: on top a reality. It could change the course of 626 00:37:46,282 --> 00:37:50,322 Speaker 1: the gaming industry forever. But the game was hard, so 627 00:37:50,522 --> 00:37:54,042 Speaker 1: hard that out of those half million players, just eight 628 00:37:54,162 --> 00:37:58,122 Speaker 1: people found the right solution. One by one, they began 629 00:37:58,202 --> 00:38:01,362 Speaker 1: to fly out to Sunny Vale to seek fame and fortune. 630 00:38:01,682 --> 00:38:04,202 Speaker 1: Burt Wardahl was hoping to be one of them, so 631 00:38:04,282 --> 00:38:06,762 Speaker 1: were plenty of others. But it wouldn't be long before 632 00:38:06,922 --> 00:38:10,482 Speaker 1: bard Quest began to spin out of control and introduce 633 00:38:10,602 --> 00:38:14,162 Speaker 1: the biggest question of all. How did all those prizes, 634 00:38:14,522 --> 00:38:16,762 Speaker 1: valued at a total of one hundred and fifty thousand 635 00:38:16,802 --> 00:38:22,082 Speaker 1: dollars become something of a lost treasure. Here's Howard. 636 00:38:23,282 --> 00:38:26,842 Speaker 7: And so I had heard stories about these amazing things. 637 00:38:26,922 --> 00:38:29,242 Speaker 7: I saw a picture of them here and there. I 638 00:38:29,282 --> 00:38:32,442 Speaker 7: can honestly say that in my entire experience in my 639 00:38:32,562 --> 00:38:35,842 Speaker 7: life so far, I have never actually been in the 640 00:38:35,922 --> 00:38:38,922 Speaker 7: same room with any of these items. 641 00:38:39,162 --> 00:38:42,562 Speaker 5: And Todd Fry I never ended up seeing these prizes 642 00:38:42,602 --> 00:38:45,802 Speaker 5: in person. You know, it's actually interesting to think about 643 00:38:45,842 --> 00:38:50,002 Speaker 5: that there was a real abstraction where maybe Ivory Tower 644 00:38:50,362 --> 00:38:59,282 Speaker 5: maybe disassociated or maybe my world was separate from the mundane. Sorry, 645 00:38:59,362 --> 00:39:02,162 Speaker 5: this is so weird. That's why I'm laughing at myself. 646 00:39:02,762 --> 00:39:05,002 Speaker 5: But yeah, it would have been a good story if 647 00:39:05,042 --> 00:39:07,722 Speaker 5: I'd taken the sort of the sorcery used to chop 648 00:39:07,762 --> 00:39:10,442 Speaker 5: out lines or yeah, not so. 649 00:39:10,482 --> 00:39:15,842 Speaker 1: Much this season on the Legend of sword Quest. 650 00:39:16,762 --> 00:39:19,362 Speaker 6: It is a mystery, just purely because so much of 651 00:39:19,402 --> 00:39:22,002 Speaker 6: this has lost and the missive time that gives it 652 00:39:22,042 --> 00:39:23,682 Speaker 6: a certain are of something special. 653 00:39:23,802 --> 00:39:25,362 Speaker 3: Night walk and I just put it on a kitchen 654 00:39:25,362 --> 00:39:27,322 Speaker 3: table and Hey came here. I opened it up and say, 655 00:39:27,322 --> 00:39:28,922 Speaker 3: what do you think? And I'm like, what's that? My 656 00:39:29,002 --> 00:39:30,802 Speaker 3: sister actually said that? Or was that a replica? 657 00:39:30,842 --> 00:39:32,362 Speaker 1: I said, no, I want it. I won't. 658 00:39:32,682 --> 00:39:32,842 Speaker 7: No. 659 00:39:32,922 --> 00:39:34,282 Speaker 6: He never admits that it's fake. 660 00:39:34,362 --> 00:39:36,042 Speaker 3: You see, he's thinking if it's a fake, that he's 661 00:39:36,042 --> 00:39:37,802 Speaker 3: a victim too, because he bought from somebody. 662 00:39:38,282 --> 00:39:40,562 Speaker 9: Other people have pointed out that, well, that's not really 663 00:39:40,802 --> 00:39:43,762 Speaker 9: kind of legal. You have to go through with the contest. 664 00:39:43,482 --> 00:39:45,682 Speaker 3: And he didn't even know there was a contest going on. 665 00:39:45,762 --> 00:39:48,162 Speaker 3: Spot The lawyers went round and around for a year 666 00:39:48,602 --> 00:39:50,522 Speaker 3: before so many had told him, well, you bought the company, 667 00:39:50,682 --> 00:39:51,602 Speaker 3: you got to do something about this. 668 00:39:51,842 --> 00:39:55,282 Speaker 9: He was saying, it's in legal boxes somewhere. We would 669 00:39:55,322 --> 00:39:58,162 Speaker 9: have to charge you legal research fees to go through 670 00:39:58,162 --> 00:40:00,122 Speaker 9: the boxes to figure out who owns what. I'm like, 671 00:40:00,202 --> 00:40:00,762 Speaker 9: I'm sorry. 672 00:40:00,882 --> 00:40:02,322 Speaker 3: I don't think there was ever any pictures of the 673 00:40:02,322 --> 00:40:04,842 Speaker 3: actual items themselves, besides the ones that were awarded the 674 00:40:04,882 --> 00:40:05,402 Speaker 3: prize winners. 675 00:40:05,562 --> 00:40:08,362 Speaker 6: There was a letter envelope just tucked in the side 676 00:40:08,362 --> 00:40:10,402 Speaker 6: of a shoebox, and I opened it and I found 677 00:40:10,442 --> 00:40:12,162 Speaker 6: those photos, so I knew what this was. 678 00:40:12,402 --> 00:40:13,322 Speaker 3: How that is not the case. 679 00:40:13,442 --> 00:40:14,922 Speaker 7: What happened to the prizes. 680 00:40:14,642 --> 00:40:21,362 Speaker 2: Is The Legend of sword Quest is a production of 681 00:40:21,442 --> 00:40:23,442 Speaker 2: iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 682 00:40:23,762 --> 00:40:26,722 Speaker 4: This episode was written by Jake Rosson and hosted by 683 00:40:26,802 --> 00:40:30,482 Speaker 4: Jamie Loftus producers are Miranda Hawkins and Josh Fisher. 684 00:40:30,922 --> 00:40:33,722 Speaker 2: Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, L. C. 685 00:40:33,962 --> 00:40:36,802 Speaker 1: Crowley, Brandon Barr, and Jason English. 686 00:40:36,922 --> 00:40:38,562 Speaker 2: Our show editor is Mary Doo. 687 00:40:39,082 --> 00:40:43,042 Speaker 4: Audio engineering by Graham Gibson, Research and fact checking by 688 00:40:43,082 --> 00:40:44,922 Speaker 4: Austin Thompson and Jake Rosson. 689 00:40:45,402 --> 00:40:47,482 Speaker 2: Original score by Jesse Niswanger. 690 00:40:48,002 --> 00:40:51,402 Speaker 4: This episode was sound designed by Josh Fisher, mixing and 691 00:40:51,442 --> 00:40:53,242 Speaker 4: mastering by Miranda Hawkins. 692 00:40:53,602 --> 00:40:55,522 Speaker 1: Show logo by Lucy Quintinia. 693 00:40:56,202 --> 00:41:00,082 Speaker 2: Voices in this episode are provided by Dylan Fagan, Nick Rimes, 694 00:41:00,242 --> 00:41:01,322 Speaker 2: and Isaiah Pringle.